The official trailer for House of the Dragon, a prequel to the HBO series Game of Thrones, is now available. HBO released the video ahead of its panel at San Diego Comic-Con, revealing that the new Westeros series will tell the story through multiple time jumps. The House of the Dragon plot is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel ‘Fire and Blood,’ and takes place centuries before the events of ‘Fire and Ice.’ The Game of Thrones spin-off will premiere on HBO Max on August 21 and on Disney+ Hotstar in India on August 22.
The House of the Dragon trailer begins with a succession crisis, with Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) and Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) fighting over who gets to sit on the Iron Throne. Unlike Game of Thrones lore, the prequel places the Targaryens in charge of the spiky seat, which is currently occupied by King Viserys I (Paddy Constantine) — who is in desperate need of an heir.
Daemon is the king’s brother, and Rhaenyra is his firstborn child, according to the House of the Dragon trailer. This sets up the story’s conflict, as he is forced to choose between his brother — which is against the law — and his blood child, who happens to be a woman.
“I will not be forced to choose between my brother and my daughter,” the king says to his council in the House of the Dragon trailer. The medieval setting brings the same plot beats about succession, where women are automatically deemed unfit to rule a kingdom. “A woman would not inherit the Iron Throne because that is the order of things,” Rhaenyra is told in one House of the Dragon trailer scene, bolstering her determination to dethrone her uncle Daemon.
A third contender for the Iron Throne is also revealed in the House of the Dragon trailer. — Lady Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who was Rhaenyra’s best friend before falling out over ambition. House of the Dragon showrunners Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik revealed in an interview that both characters will be introduced as teenagers, followed by a 10-year time jump. D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke will take over from here on out. The new Game of Thrones show will be structured similarly to Netflix’s The Crown, with multiple time jumps interspersed throughout.
In other news, George R.R. Martin hopes to expand Game of Thrones into a multi-project universe akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. HBO is currently working on a Jon Snow spin-off that will serve as a sequel to the eight-season long-running show. “The Marvel Cinematic Universe has The Avengers, but they also have something offbeat like WandaVision,” Martin told The Hollywood Reporter. “That’s what I’m hoping to accomplish with these other Game of Thrones shows, so that we can have a variety that showcases the history of this world.” You can only hold a competition for the Iron Throne so many times.”
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